Vote counting has commenced in Papua New Guinea
(PNG) on Sunday, July 9. Voting was expected to end on July 8, but logistical problems
preventing a large number of people from voting means that ballot boxes remain
open in some provinces on July 9. The general elections continue have been
marred by opposition accusations of irregularities and poor organisation. With
tensions already high in the country, frustrations among voters could result in
renewed bouts of unrest. More than 10,000 police and other security personnel
have been deployed to mitigate the possibility of violence.

Context

Voting in the country's two-week-long
elections began on Saturday, June 24. On June 27, voting in the capital capital
city of Port Moresby was postponed by strike action by staff of the electoral
commission over unpaid allowances. PNG has an unusually long voting period, in
part because many voters in rural areas have to walk a significant distance to
reach polling stations. Voting has also been
interrupted or postponed in other areas of the country due to logistical
problems, discrepancies in the electoral roll, and disputes among the
candidates. Approximately 5 million voters will elect 111 members to PNG's
parliament. No party has ever won a majority of votes in a national election,
and analysts predict that results will dictate that another coalition
government will be formed.

Elections are being held amid significant
sociopolitical tensions in the country after PNG's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill
was charged with corruption in June 2014.
He is also accused of burdening PNG with large amounts of debt. As a
result of PNG's poor economic health, the country has high levels of
unemployment, crime, and poverty.

Advice

Individuals are advised to remain abreast of the situation and to avoid all large gatherings due to the possibility of violence.

GardaWorld is the world’s largest privately owned security company, offering transportation and cash vault services, physical and specialized security solutions and, with the Crisis24 portal, the dissemination of verified information pertaining to international security. We protect your people and property, wherever they are in the world.

You’ve heard or seen news reports about mass shootings. This events, often referred to as Active Shooter incidents, are they are on the rise. In an Active Shooter incident your life could depend on knowing how to react. GardaWorld’s online Active Shooter training could make all the difference.